it is important to Mrs Mooney as she is all too familiar with the restraints placed upon herself with a husband who ruined her but from whom she can barely escape due to her Catholic beliefs and being forbidden to divorce. She watches Polly and forms her own assessments of the boarders, aware that they are mostly not suitable for her daughter as "none of them meant business." Mrs Mooney knows that Polly cannot make an informed choice and is determined that her daughter will not be a "slavey."